Monday, July 18, 2011

Lovely Lilies

I have used lilies off and on in my gardens throughout the years but I think I can finally say they are here to stay in my present garden.

This is an Asiatic Tango Lily, believe it is called Honey Bee. I had Halloween last year in my garden but it didn't come back.

This is an Asiatic called Regal.

I am not thrilled with having to stake certain types and the fading of the darker colors is a disappointment.

Orienpet Satisfaction

﻿Orienpet Satisfaction faded

It will take a little moving around so that I can give the beautiful raspberry one a little more shade. Like daylilies I will need to study the bloom times so that I can have lilies in the garden all season.

Orienpet Lavon is my favorite, beautiful fragrance and lasts longer than the others.

Orienpet Lavon Look Alike in the back border. It looks similar but I do not have the name of this one!﻿

Orienpet Lavon with Dark Ruby Daylily.

Lilies look great mixed in with other perennials such as phlox and daylilies. This lily is Orienpet Conca D'Or with Blue Paradise Phlox.

I purchased a bag of mixed lilies (all Orienpet) but most of them were too small to bloom this year. I won't do this again as I was planning on having extended color in the raised bed garden where my daylilies reside.

Orienpet Anastasia

Only three or four will bloom out of twenty-five bulbs, all came up but not with flowerheads.

Remember, when you plan to use lilies in your garden, they can become quite tall and probably will need staking. The show is worth it!

Your lilies, daylilies and phlox are beautiful, Eileen! Love Anastasia and Conca D'Or. I have Anastasia in my garden too; this is my first year and it hasn't bloomed yet. I agree with what you said about the mixed bag deals, etc. I know I have gotten a lot of daylilies, as one example, by mail in the past and they take much longer to mature and be gorgeous than if I'd bought them good-sized at a garden center. Nothing against mail order; you just have to realize what you're getting (and be patient!) Eileen, I enjoyed the tour of your garden today.Beth

I have had very good luck buying little packets of lilies from a local garden center. I have also had good luck ordering online from reputable suppliers, but somehow this package of lilies were not great. We'll see next year what they produce.

I have done okay ordering online from Scheepers and Van Engelen but somehow this time with the mixed bag, it was not great. They all grew but so many did not develop flowers. Maybe, I should write them a note!

Hi Eileen... your lilies look great... mine are just beginning to bloom. Question on your first one... it looks just like Tango 'Graffitti' to me. Mine had blooms 10" across... I wish other asiatics would develop to that size. By the way, after 4 weeks without rain, we just got a half inch... sure hope this breaks the dry spell as things were looking pretty tired, even with watering. Larry

What a stunning display, despite the no-shows. I have a theory that lilies have a secret life underground. You never know where they may pop up or whether they may bloom. Like people, some are more dependable that others.

Eileen, your garden is amazing! My lilies were so colorful this year. The pink ones on my header were gorgeous! I hated it when they faded to a pastel pink!! I am going to stop by. . . I am missing all of your blooms!

I really like the Lavon Orienpet Eileen. I have a couple oreienpets and have ordered more for planting this Fall.I wanted some taller ones for the back of the Woodland bed.They had to be staked which was a disappointment but maybe all the wind and rain was the cause this year. I cannot believe how that one faded though.Your Dark Ruby daylilies are beautiful.I ordered a Chicago Apache Red for Fall and I am hoping it will be really red in color.We had 90 degrees yesterday and then got hit by a storm. Four inches of rain in an hour causing flash floods in the valley below us.

Eileen, you're definitely right, lilies are worth the extra effort in staking, yours are Amazing! I have a few but need to add more. Also a question, do your lilies continue to increase every year, or do they gradually fade away? I have 'Red Dutch' and for two or three years, it did very well, but now it is starting to go backward, a few less flowering stalks and less height and flower size. I was just wondering if this is the way with lilies, even the newer kinds, or if I'm doing something wrong. Another one I never could grow was 'Casa Blanca' and I know two gardeners with a stand of them over 5' wide...sigh.

I'll keep planting them in hopes someday mine will look as gorgeous as yours.

Eileen girl you have me green with envy !LOL .. The battle with the beetles was just too much for me .. but I do have two small patches of Lily in the shade garden .. Casa Blanca and Stargazer ..they seem to have normal fat flower buds but have NOT opened yet !! I love how you have paired the lily with your perennial flowers .. my favorite is with that dark red day lily and Orienpet Lavon .. stunning! .. They are all gorgeous but I understand how you feel about some of them .. sort of a let down and a bit too much work.I bet your garden smells amazing though .. wish I could see and smell it in person : )Joy